[Mintwood-place] The Illegal Dog Park at Kalorama Park

[John Cloud]

Re: "The solution is simple, create a 'legal' dog park at Kalorama with 
the appropriate soil foundation and fencing."

Actually, it's not that simple.  Standards for DC dog parks have been 
proposed, and are evolving, by complex processes.  But whatever 
standards eventually get decided on, there will be specifications like 
mimimal size of the dog park, minimum distances from kids playgrounds, 
distance from residences, maximum allowable slope of the ground, etc. By 
the latest version of the standards-- which probably aren't final-- it 
doesn't look like there is any place in Kalorama Park that would meet 
the standards.  Kalorama Park is just too small, too steep on most of 
the land, too committed already to other uses that have existed 
reasonably for decades, like the Rec Cen, kids lots, a community garden, 
too close to houses on Mintwood, etc.  It all adds up.

So what''s the alternative?  How about dog owners actually obeying the 
goddam law and keeping their dogs on a leash at all times in the park, 
just like they know they are supposed to do?   I would be satisfied if 
dog owners acted legally, with just as much right to be in the park with 
their dogs on leashes as toddlers have to play in the sand box, and 
people to sit on benches, etc.  The root of the profound problems with 
soil erosion and loss of lawns in Kalorama Park is massive disobedience 
of the laws of the District of Columbia by dog owners.
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          John Cloud
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